Spaghetti Squash Heaven

December 06, 2017

I am a big fan of chicken marsala, especially over pasta. I was in the mood for marsala but wanted to stray away from pasta (I’m trying to be good). However, I knew that I didn’t want to serve it over rice. I just so happened to have a spaghetti squash, and thought it would be cool idea to turn them into bowls. I figured that the marsala chicken and gravy would compliment the spaghetti squash very well… so I came up with “Chicken Marsala Spaghetti Squash Bowls”. I don’t know about you guys but I always love saving/transforming every part of a fruit or veggie when I can. For example: Pineapple Rice Bowls, Stuffed Peppers, Watermelon Punch Bowls, or anything of that sort. I just think it looks so appealing. You know what I mean? Any ways, this approach on chicken marsala is a little more healthy than serving it over a mound of pasta, yet still so delicious and flavorful. I hope you all enjoy!

Ingredients:

Squash:

2 whole medium sized spaghetti squash (cut in half – the long way)

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Chicken:

8 small-medium thin sliced boneless chicken breasts

2/3 cup of flour

salt and pepper

Marsala Sauce:

2 cups of white mushrooms (sliced)

4 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of flour

2 tablespoons of salted butter

1 1/2 cups of chicken stock

1/4 cup of marsala wine

salt and pepper to taste

fresh minced parsley for garnish

Directions:

Squash:

Set oven to 375°F.

Cut each spaghetti squash in half the long way (from stem to tail), and remove seeds with a spoon.

Place on a nonstick sheet pan/baking dish, drizzle/brush with olive oil, and sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper.

Roast for about 45 minutes or until squash is tender. (The squash is ready when you can easily pierce a fork through. At this point, taste it. If it is a little crunchy, put the squash back in the oven and roast for another 10-15 minutes.)

Once squash is done, scrape the inside flesh with a fork creating long spaghetti like strands. Be sure to scrape all of the squash from the peel. Save the squash “bowls”.

Place strands into a mixing bowl and toss lightly with garlic powder. Add salt/pepper to your liking.

While the spaghetti squash is cooking, start the chicken and marsala sauce:

Set a large frying pan over medium/high heat. Add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Once oil is hot, sauté the sliced mushrooms until tender/golden brown. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Next, trim off any excess fat from the chicken breasts. Lightly pound chicken with tenderizer on each side of the breast.

Place 2/3 cup of flour onto a plate. Dredge each chicken breasts in flour, so that they are just lightly dusted with flour on each side.

In the same frying pan used for the mushrooms, set heat to medium and add in 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Once oil is hot, place chicken breasts into pan and fry for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. (8 chicken breasts will not fit in the pan at once, so fry in batches. Add a little more oil between batches if necessary). Be sure that the internal temperature of the chicken is 160-165°F.

Once chicken breasts are done cooking, sprinkle lightly with salt/pepper and set aside with mushrooms.

Using the same pan, set heat to medium, and melt 2 tablespoons of butter. (If there is chicken scraps stuck to the bottom of the pan, thats great! Do not discard them.)

Once butter is melted, add in 2 tablespoons flour and whisk. Next, add in marsala wine and whisk.

Now, add in chicken stock and whisk. If you find that the sauce is too thick for your liking, gradually add in a little more chicken stock. Season with salt & pepper to your liking and taste.

Add chicken breasts and mushrooms into pan. Cover each breast with marsala sauce.

Turn heat down to low and simmer for about a minute.

Assemble:

Put spaghetti squash back into the “squash bowls”.

Next, add two pieces of chicken on top of spaghetti squash for each bowl.